Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Faldo back in full swing as computer corrects fault

Alex Lowe
Thursday 05 February 2004 01:00 GMT
Comments

Nick Faldo has turned to biomechanics in an attempt to recapture his best form after fixing the demons in his mind.

The six-times major champion was wired up to sensors and a laptop computer as he took to the driving range at Royal Melbourne yesterday in preparation for the Heineken Classic which begins here today. Every facet of his swing and body movement was measured and translated into a virtual reality image on the laptop. And Faldo was given a unique insight into his game - he had been trying to correct the wrong part of his swing.

"I've been wired up, trying these biomechanical things," Faldo said. "You know the faults in your swing but it is nice to be able to put your finger on the one fault that is causing the other faults. My head was going up quite a lot. By keeping my head level, it made a 10-degree difference in my hip rotation.

"It is quite interesting to discover that, when you have been working on your hips, it has actually been caused by something else." Faldo's mental freshness could prove key if he is to go one better than his second-place finish here last year and challenge for a Ryder Cup place.

* The European Ryder Cup captain Bernhard Langer has ruled out any chance of playing his way on to this year's team, according to his manager and brother Erwin. The 46-year-old German had previously indicated he would consider playing if he automatically qualified, but Erwin said yesterday: "Bernhard is fully committed as a captain and, in fact, wants to be a perfect Ryder Cup captain."

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in